Over the weekend, partygoers at a festival in Israel’s Negev desert were attacked by gunmen, with hundreds killed and taken hostage. At the same time, rockets hit cities across Israel and people barricaded themselves into their homes for safety.

The attacks were carried out by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. They bulldozed the separation barrier between Israel and Gaza and targeted Israel from all angles. In response, Israel has launched a wave of air strikes on Gaza and says the country is at war.

Israelis are comparing the scale of these events to the 9/11 attacks in the United States. Survivors in Israel and Gaza talk about what they saw and how they’ve been affected.

We also break down the region’s complicated politics and geography, with the BBC’s International Editor Jeremy Bowen explaining what this means for Israel and Gaza, and Security Correspondent Frank Gardner asking: how did Israel not see this coming? And what happens next, with so many people taken hostage?

Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: William Lee Adams and Maria Clara Montoya Editors: Verity Wilde and Simon Peeks

Israel-Gaza violence: The conflict explained 11:37 Share

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Israel-Gaza violence: The conflict explained